With 'Community's long-awaited season 4 premiere finally arriving on Thursday, February 7, the cast have naturally made the press rounds of late and been subject to a number of questions surrounding the show's bubble status, and star Chevy Chase's dramatic (but not unsurprising) exit from the series. Lead actor Joel McHale recently offered up a surprisingly direct assessment of the legendary 'SNL' star's various incidents to Howard Stern, so what did McHale do that made Chase want to fight him?

'Community's biggest controversies may well be behind the series now that Chevy Chase has taken official leave regardless of additional seasons, but plenty of questions remain over the various incidents that facilitated the star's departure from the show. In advance of the new season's premiere, star Joel McHale opened up to Howard Stern to clarify a few of the controversies, admitting that Chase did in fact drop the "n-word" on the set, though not in an accusatory context.

Reportedly, Chase even claimed legendary comedian Richard Pryor had once authorized him to use the word, despite McHale's report the incident brought the set to "DEFCON 1." McHale remained somewhat tetchy and sardonic during the interview, but claimed Chase “would just try to fight me. He physically wanted to fight me" over McHale's efforts to pacify Chase's distaste for the series.

New 'Community' show-runners Moses Port and David Guarascio have expressed their optimism in the series continuing on to season 5, though Chase made his departure official by the end of season 4. Chase will reportedly appear as his character Pierce Hawthorne in 10 of the 13 episodes, while the writing will address his exit within the series.

Well, what say you? Are you surprised by the reveals about Chevy Chase's on-set demeanor? Will 'Community' be better off without him? Watch McHale's interview with Howard Stern below, and give us your thoughts in the comments!